All week long, all the Pats heard was "Lights out," a chargers parade before the game (youtube.com/watch?v=yHyLlL01tGA), and a predicting that the Jets would win after the Wild Card playoff halftime show by Merriman. When a team talks that much smack and is that confident that they are going to win, the other team can easily take that and shove it down their throats. They didn't respect the Patriots; a team that is 11-1 coming into that game in the playoffs with the best playoff QB of all time, and a great O line, and one of the best coaches ever. It makes the Patriots play better; an edge. It's not the difference in the game, but it HELPS them, for sure.
You say it helps them but you don't explain why. You really think the Chargers underestimated the Patriots? And you somehow derive that from the fact that they gloated and talked smack before the game. None of your reasoning makes any logical sense. Take your jibber jabber to a Patriots board.
The Patriots played inspired, for lack of a better word, because they were playing knowing the Chargers thought they didn't deserve to play them.
Okay. I'll use your logic. Suppose the Chargers hadn't talked smack about the Patriots and, instead, had said that the Patriots were the better team and probably would win. Would the Patriots have been less inspired? Would their play have suffered?
They may not have lost, but I would not be the least bit surprised to see their play suffer. If the Chargers had come out and said that, the Pats players don't think they have to play as hard; like the level of play the Chargers were at on Sunday.
You think there are times that players come out and think they don't have to play as hard as other times? In the playoffs? Get off it.
Sure it's the playoffs and players should be inspired anyway, but any extra motivation the opponent gives sure doesn't hurt. I think the Pats SB win over the Rams in 01 is another example. I don't think the Rams played their "typical" game because they didn't take the Patriots as seriously as they should have. "Q: You said that nobody gave you a chance. How good does it teal to prove people wrong? RH: I mean, that's why you play. People are always going to doubt you. I don't care who you are. They always doubted Michael Jordan, and he was the greatest basketball player to ever play. People are always going to doubt you. You're motivated internally as well as by people that doubt you. I mean, we had to sit back and we had to absorb Indianapolis, we had to accept [Mike Vanderjagt] talking smack. It really just gave us that added thump. And, I mean, I'm just so proud of this team because it was a great team effort." (patriots.com/mediacenter/index.cfm?ac=audionewsdetail&pid=10464&pcid=85&searchstring=)
You know what. You're absolutely right. With the new perspective you've given me, here is my interpretation of a Patriots cornerback covering a Chargers receiver: "Here he comes. I better cover him. Oh no. He's running faster than me. He's got me beat! I'm screwed. Wait a second. I almost forgot. His team was talking smack about mine. That bastard! He thinks he's better than me! This extra rage - it's making me run faster! I'm catching him!"
I had no problem with Pats doing the dance. If you think about it, the sack dance could also be considered disrespectful to the other team too. Either nobody does it, or anyone can do it. You can do whatever the hell you want if you win, LT is just pissed his team is out.
Seriously.... but one other thing that LT said didn't make much sense. the Part where the Pats players learned this from Bellichoke. You won't see "Little Tuna" ever start Dancing or doing anything other than walking across the field, giving the opposing coach a handshake(or in Mangini's case, picking his pockets in the process and telling him he sucks), and walking off the field. If LT wants to be mad at someone, he should be mad at Merriman himself who acted like a total AZZ prior to the game toward the Pats. I mean he gave enough bulletin-board material to fill a newspaper....Giving bulletin-board material to the Pats players nowadays is like talking Trash to MJ right before he drops 60 on your butt. Oh he can also be mad at his own team for....what's that word? Oh yeah....CHOKING!!
